The Bridge Church Sermons

We won’t change the world by only going to church. We will change the world by being the church. What if by the power of God’s grace we weren’t meant to consume but meant to participate in as a body? What if we didn’t reduce church to something we just attend but something we belong to and participate in?We are the church. We are not a corporation of religious professionals, dispensing spiritual goods and services in exchange for financial support. So, let’s be done with that kind of casual reduction of the church to a thing we attend. Rather, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10: 2Support the show

What are the things that keep you from sharing the gospel? Is it fear? Is it the thought that you can't make a difference? Or maybe it's that you simply don't know how. God's plan from the very beginning was to use ordinary people to tell of God's extraordinary story—and that is freeing to remember. God has given us His presence, His plan, and His power so that the world may know of the greatest news there is. But it does require us to do one thing: open our mouths. We are the Church. We are God’s plan for the world to hear. So what is holding you back?Support the show

Church isn’t a building.Worship isn’t just music.Ministry isn’t just for pastors.And prayer isn’t for the experts.Prayer is an invitation for all of us to bring our whole, true self to God. And the ultimate goal of prayer is not to be a better pray-er, but to grow in intimacy with God.May we remember that prayer is far less about moving God’s hand and far more about changing our heart because people who pray, change.Support the show

Nope, don’t check out just yet—“the wealthy” likely includes you in this case. The Bible talks pretty heavily about money. Did you know there is more in the New Testament about money than heaven and hell combined, and that five times more verses deal with money and possessions than prayer? This topic is worth paying attention to, even when on the surface, it doesn’t feel very spiritual. The truth, though, is that our treasure trail can help us trace back to where our heart lies. And James doesn’t hold back when he gives warning to the wealthy. Support the show

Pride is the doorway to all the places in life we don’t want to end up. And yet, so often, it's pride that we think is the sin we don't struggle with, or we brush it off because we don't realize just how big a pitfall it is. But the goal is not humility. Humility is the by-product of the real antidote to pride, and that's intimacy with Jesus. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we stand no chance in the fight against our own pride. But God's grace is more. How do we approach our pride with this in mind? Support the show

A lot of things can look like the real deal until they're put to the test—diamonds that don't pass the scratch test, money that changes color under a counterfeit pen... Even our wisdom can be counterfeit if it comes from the wrong source. And the scary part is that a lot of times, we're totally fine with the counterfeit as long as it looks real on the outside. James 3 continues the conversation on an important topic: biblical wisdom. It's far too easy for us to forget that God has already promised wisdom to us if we simply ask. Let's say it this way: God paid for you to have the real deal in wisdom. So will we settle? Support the show

A sermon about how words steer our direction, shape memories, and influence relationships. It explores biblical metaphors likening speech to a bit, rudder, and fire. Listeners hear signs of an untamed tongue and practical challenges to speak life, encourage others, and pray for enemies. A week-long practice is offered to intentionally use hopeful, healing language.

"Talk is cheap. Let's go play." - Johnny UnitasThat’s a modern quote to summarize the back half of James 2 that has troubled Christians for centuries. And it’s because it poses this question: Can you have faith without works? If we are saved by faith alone, where do works fall in the equation? What does true saving faith look like?The gospel produces both faith and works. One without the other is what James calls “dead faith”. Christians are called to not “faith AND works”, not “faith OR works”… but a faith THAT works. A saving faith means we don’t just talk cheaply—we play too.Support the show

You can have a big head at the same time you have a shrinking heart. A lot of times, you can see the effects of that kind of condition in the way you treat others. Enter: the sin of snobbery. When we are drawn to make distinctions—ranking others by a face value like wealth, status, race, age, you name it—James is challenging us to reevaluate. And the challenge might not be what you think. It's not to stop showing favoritism; it's to show favor to all. We have a model who showed us how to do that, and we have a source of power to help us do it—to "love others as you love yourself." Support the show

There is an enemy who waits, waving its bait and hoping that our weakness will come through—that we'll be convinced there is something out there that brings happiness apart from God. The sad news: it happens so often that we are convinced. The list of bait is endless—money, status, vanity, property, people... And the enemy knows there is an entire arsenal ready to use. But maturity in Christ is learning to recognize and resist the temptation that is there to distract us from chasing what our heart really needs. What baits you? What hope is there to overcome it? Support the show